Wolfish
by Asphodel Storm
Summary: As partners, Hermione and Draco have learned to work together in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. However as they are working towards a regulatory law for werewolves and the distribution of wolfsbane, secrets come to light that neither could anticipate.
1. Chapter 1

"Granger, would you stop pacing for a damn minute and just fucking listen to me!" Draco Malfoy was at his wit's end with the blasted woman. "You've been on this for ages and you have had no success! Just let it go already!"

Draco remembered when Hermione became a member of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she had almost literally set the wizarding world ablaze with all the new laws and changes that she had put into place. House elves were now considered employees of the government and had government mandated vacations and a weekly salary. However, it was her most recent work on getting werewolves to register and ensuring that the ones who registered had their wolfsbane that was driving him absolutely insane.

While he usually found her persistence slightly amusing, this was just downright ridiculous. Ever since he had been cleared Granger found it just hilarious that he couldn't find any other job but as her partner.

He had started to think that she had bloody requested him, however, that was quickly dismissed on his first day of work. The blasted witch had nearly hexed his head clean off! That day he wasn't sure who to be more pissed at! Her or Kingsley who thought that it was hilarious when he showed up in his office with a face full of boils that only Hermione knew the counter curse for. Over the course of the past few months, they had come to the realization that they actually benefitted from each other's company and aptitude for knowledge.

Kinglsey was very impressed by the pairs aptitude and their skill set. When they really put their minds to it things got done. He was sure that he made the right decision placing Malfoy there.

"I just don't understand why you're throwing such a hissy fit! You know just as well as I do that this registration system is important."

Draco rolled his eyes at the insufferable woman in front of him who was getting more and more agitated by the minute.

"I just cannot fathom why the ones who have registered are not responding to any means of communication. They knew that this was a part of the law that was signed into place!" Hermione sighed and started thinking about a possible solution.

"Okay, so if we talk to the ones who are registered and willing to communicate, do you think that they would be willing to get others on track?" She started to pace again. Draco found that she often did this when she started to get overly frustrated.

"I just don't want to see innocent people who were like Lupin get fired from jobs or not be able to obtain an education due to employers being able to discriminate based off of wolfsbane availability. It's unfair!"

By this point, Draco had sat down and had basically tuned her out. It wasn't until he looked up to see the look of furiousness on her face that he realized she wasn't talking anymore. He closed his eyes. They had been having the same circular conversation for weeks now.

"I just don't understand why you have to push the issue. Up until you waltzed into this blasted office everything was o-fucking-kay!" Hermione looked at him mouth agape.

He couldn't take it anymore, she had officially pissed him off. For months all that she had been doing was irking his nerves about this and he was done with this. In a swift motion, Draco stood up and was almost inches away from her face. He growled slightly at her, and as he spoke, his eyes darkened slowly from his usual icy grey to golden lupine.

"You don't get it, do you? For a girl who is oh-so-clever, I'm surprised it's taken you this long! We don't want you in our fucking business!"

"Excuse me?!"

Hermione screeched at the young man before her, who was very close in proximity and his aroma was intoxicating. There was a strong scent of petrichor and apples, however, right now he smelled all wolf, and it took every fiber of Hermione's being to not jump the man, right here, right now.

Draco blanched. He knew she was going to react but he didn't think it was going to be like this. He tried to take a step back which to his surprise was unsuccessful as he now found himself pinned against the wall with a furious Hermione Granger facing him. He noticed that her hair was crackling as her magic poured off her in waves.

"Our business?" He eyes narrowed and Draco could tell she was about to lose any sort of self-control that she had. He didn't want to have to retaliate in self-defense. He was starting to panic because he didn't seem to have many options here.

His thoughts were broken as he looked into the now lupine gold eyes of Hermione Granger.

"It's my fucking business too."

 **Authors Notes:**

 **Hey guys, so this is my first shot at a Werewolf fic so please bear with me and I am welcome to all sorts of help! Please feel free to review, DM, or anything of the sorts! Any help and reviews shall be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

Well. That certainly caught him off guard. His brain was rapidly firing questions before his irises. When did she get turned? Do Potter and Weasley know? Who turned her? Why couldn't I smell her?Sensing his panic Hermione backed off a bit, not wanting to make him angrier. She turned around and walked over to her door, ensuring that it was locked. After casting more than the usual privacy spells, she began to talk.

"After leaving your house, I was a wreck." As she talked, Draco watched her closely, noting how her demeanor had changed and how anxious she became.

"I didn't talk to Harry or Ron for weeks. For the first time in my life, even though you bullied me about it my entire childhood, I felt like I was an abomination. I was broken."

She took a deep breath and continued, grasping the edge of the chair in front of her to keep her steady.

"I never dealt with those feelings so when the time came for the final battle, I was careless. I didn't care if I lived or died. I figured since I was broken it didn't matter anyway." Draco stiffened. He closed his eyes, bracing for her next words.

"I…I was trying to help Lavender Brown after she had been attacked. I was trying to stop the blood, but there was just too much. As I was trying to help, someone yanked me from behind, pulling me away. I can still see her face."

Hermione grew silent for a few moments gathering her nerves so that she could finish her tale. "Unfortunately for me, it just so happened to be one of Fenrir's new recruits. He was a young wolf and I'm pretty sure his name was Starling." She pulled her shirt up turning around to face him.

"When he pulled me away, his claws dug into my hips, scratching my hips around to my rear. I could smell blood on him which indicated that he had recently killed. He then bit down on my shoulder earning him an elbow to the ribs. Once he released his jaw, I was able to get quite a few good hits before I tried to run. Unfortunately, I couldn't get far enough and was bitten again on my hip."

At this point Hermione had tears running down her face. She hadn't told anyone up until now. No one had known. She had done so well to cover her scent and scars with glamour charms and other various means. She had fooled everyone. Harry, Ron, even the Minister.

Hermione kicked herself mentally for allowing Malfoy to rile her up, but dammit this was important. This was the first time since that night where she felt like she was worth something.

"I wanted him to kill me. I wanted to die, right then. I blacked out from the pain and when I woke up, he was gone. I knew I had been infected and that I would be eternally damned from a career if anyone found out, so I decided that I had to run. Since the wards were down I apparated to the headmaster's office so that I could ask Dumbledore if he knew whether Snape had any wolfsbane in his stores."

Draco moved towards her in hopes of comforting her. She looked destroyed but beautiful at the same time. He had never seen or known a stronger, more resilient woman than the one who stood before him.

She allowed him to come closer but didn't allow him to touch her. "Please, let me finish." He nodded and watched her as she seemed to pull strength from him being there.

"Once I located the wolfsbane, I decided to apparate to the Shrieking Shack. I knew that I only had enough wolfsbane for a few months and I would eventually have to come out of hiding, however, it was a long enough time to work out a plan and a story. I sent a patronus to Harry telling him that I was called away urgently to Australia. I had modified my parent's memories and sent them there before the war. I told him that I got a message telling me that they had been in an accident."

"I hid for a few months, going back to the castle to visit the library as well as Snape and Slughorn's potions cupboards. I was able to brew the Wolfsbane in the castle. Once I figured out how to mask my scent and to glamour my scars, I went back to the Burrow and now here I am." Draco was angry. This shouldn't have happened to her. Out of all people, why her?

"I knew Starling. He was killed later on in the battle. The world definitely is better off without him." Hermione nodded in agreement. While she didn't condone murder, she was grateful that he had been killed. "Enough of me for a while, let's talk about you." Draco summoned over two chairs so that they could sit. The heightened emotions were dangerous combined with their wolf hormones.

"After I failed my task, Voldemort was eerily calm. It wasn't until he called me in front of everyone during a full meeting that I realized that I was basically fucked. Within seconds, Greyback was on me."

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth in horror. She couldn't imagine being attacked like that. She knew Greyback was as unhinged as they came, Bellatrix only being second due to Greybacks' unpredictable nature.

"My parents watched as he mauled me, turning me. He did it to not only punish me but to also "taint" me. As I was inches from death, he allowed for my mother to heal me so that I would be forced to live out this life." He met her eyes and saw just how horrified she was. While her attack was nasty, his was downright inhumane.

Hermione tentatively reached out her hand to comfort him. Both of them were hyper-aware of all of the tension and different emotions in the air, however now that both of their secrets had been revealed, there was something new about the air.

She could smell him. She could smell his wolf. At first, she thought it was a new cologne, but as she took in another deep breath she realized it was something more earthy and calm, but at the same time all wolf. To her, he smelled of petrichor. The smell that frequently follows the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. She also got a hint of green apples, which could easily be his shampoo, she thought.

Unknown to her, Draco was having similar thoughts. He had taken notice a while back of how she smelled, however, now it was like a dam had been broken. He was flooded with her scent. She smelled of lilac and autumn leaves, but also of parchment. She still smelled like the Granger he knew in Hogwarts, but more heavenly.

When their eyes met, they both noticed that the others irises had turned back to their regular hue, however, there was also the look of desire and knowing upon each of their faces. From their brief studies together about werewolves and the history of mates, they knew the meaning of recognizing another's scent.

While it was normal to smell another's wolf, only one's mate could recognize the specific smells that signaled their mate.

 **AN: Hey! So the first time I tried to upload, it was all in source code for some reason.**

 **This is going to be a kinda multi-chapter one shot. I think that everything that needs to happen will happen in about 5 chapters or less.** **I hope that this chapter is okay. My muse kinda threw it all up at me. I wish it would send some ideas for _Alone No More_ and _Everything_... Oh well. Enjoy!**

 **Please review! They really make my day!**


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